Society today is actually defined by the types of music that we listen to. Think about it, you see a child today walking around with pants drawn down, their shirts hanging out and how do we describe that style of dress? We would say that they are dressing hip-hop; that is actually a form of music.
You can say that for just about any form of dress: Gothic, metal, country, and rock ’n’ roll. These are all categories of music, yet we immediately define someone by their look based on how we associate that look with the music that it represents. Music influences our children today in ways that we cannot possibly imagine. Luckily for us, music education jobs have become more popular than ever, and that being the case, those teachers finally have a forum where the children might actually pay attention.
Remember when you were in school and the biggest complaints you always heard from teachers were that children never paid attention, that children do not listen, and that children could care less? Unfortunately, the teachers were usually right. Most subjects bored us and we did just what we had to do to get by in class. Most teachers do not have the opportunity to teach children something that they actually want to learn about.
Music is not like that. In today’s day and age just about every child wants to learn about music. This field offers you a unique opportunity to do something that not very many teachers can do—teach in front of a captive audience. The subject has gotten so popular that more and more schools are adding music programs every day.
When searching job boards on the Internet, you see thousands and thousands of available positions across the country. The beauty of it is that these positions are not just for those who are musically inclined. You do not necessarily have to be able to pick up an instrument and play in order to get one of these positions.
You see titles such as Music Theory or Music’s Influence for positions that need to be filled. These are all positions that can be filled by teachers who do not necessarily have a strong musical background. This makes it a very interesting field to start looking into. This is your chance to influence children in a way you never thought was possible and to have them actually want to learn from you.
In addition to having a focused audience, there are many more benefits in pursuing a career in music education. This is a field with multiple opportunities in both the public and private sectors. If it is strictly money you are after, the private sector presents possibilities that are endless. The salaries and working conditions are usually exceptional.
The disadvantage to the private sector of course is that the job security and longevity of positions may not be there. When taking on a public position, the benefits usually far outweigh the negatives. Once you have obtained tenure, you are virtually guaranteed a job for the rest of your working life. The benefits that counties and states offer are also good.
An added benefit to a position in music education is the variety of positions that are available to you. Most teaching professionals are locked into one category or subject their entire lives. That is not the case with the music-education profession. Literally, at some point, children and adults alike are learning the same things.
Add to that special education jobs in the music field which are always filled quickly because music is a universal language that everyone understands. When someone gets interested in music would depend on how old they are when they are being taught certain things. At any given point, a thirty-year-old man could be learning the same thing as an eight-year-old child. There is no other educational field which offers the same flexibility. While you likely may be teaching the same subject during your career, it is up to you to decide your audience.
Whether you are teaching children or adults, college students or grade-school education jobs, specifically, music education jobs present an opportunity to influence our society in a unique way. The possibility of being able to educate people in something that they want to learn about is a rare occasion and something you should definitely take advantage of.
So what are you going to choose? Entertaining children, introducing them to the beauty of music? Or are you going to be the person that helps them get to the next level? Will you be guiding our teenagers through their formative years, or are you going to take the adults into a deeper understanding of music? The choice is yours, so what you have to do is make sure you choose the one you absolutely love because you actually have that option. Not many people have the ability to say they love their job, but a pursuing a career in music education will allow you to do just that.